What prompted the creation of the Great Lakes Revolving Loan Fund?
Michael KellyKelly: The landscape around the Great Lakes is changing at a dramatic pace. From development that threatens critical habitats along the Great Lakes shorelines, to wholesale divestiture of forest land by major timber companies — not to mention land use activities that threaten important headwater streams — the region faces threats to the ecosystem that are unparallel in recent history. Fortunately, there exists a broad regional network of land conservation organizations that are working to protect these special places. The missing piece — the critical piece of the conservation puzzle — is funding. How do organizations raise short-term funds to acquire these properties? That is where the loan fund plays an important and unique role. Mott: How does the fund work? How much time do you spend investigating the request? Is there a limit to the amount of money the fund can lend and how quickly must participating conservancies repay the loan? Kelly: The fund works much like a b
